Chibis

I just found some of the most darling Disney art called Chibis. These are done by David Gilson, and I hope you enjoy these as much as I have. You can see the rest of them @ this site

In the Zone

I very easily get caught up in things. Movies, books, even things like sewing or drawing can pull me in so deep, into a place of complete concentration and attention, that it makes my senses become "blind." By this I mean, when I'm watching a film intently, you can speak directly to me, loudly, and I may not hear a word you say. Or, if I'm working on a craft, and really getting into it, I may not smell that delicious dinner you just pulled out of the oven not two feet from where I am sitting. Even when reading a good book which I can't seem to get enough of, I may not notice you sitting on the couch next to me, rubbing my shoulders.

This drives my husband up the wall. And understandably so. I would certainly be frustrated from this brick wall I call my spouse, who cannot see, hear, feel, or smell me at times.

Its almost as though I have the ability, nay the SUPER POWER, to block out the senses!

This can be a huge advantage if used properly. This means easy sleeping on any form of public transportation (buses, trains, cars, airplanes, etc). Also, I can easily block out the annoying music that is played over the loud speaker at work by merely paying attention to the task at hand. You can focus on someone or something so fully, that you are literally giving it 100% of yourself.

This can also be a huge disadvantage. When you're paying so much attention to something else to the point that your boss thinks you are ignoring them. You very quickly can get lost in a conversation if you focus too hard on anything around you. You may not realize the faces you are making while watching movies which range from mimicking the puckered lips at that sweet make up scene, scowling when you know someone will ruin something, or even looking petrified because of the awkwardness of a particular scene.

In any case, this is my one super power. Does anyone else feel this way? Or am I alone in the world with a major case of zoning in rather than out?

It kind of makes me feel like Mowgli from Jungle Book

February

So January has come & gone while I continued to not write. But I am back, with renewed vigor! My computer has been out of commission for a bit, but my sweet husband took it in for me & we learned I needed more ram & a new battery. With everything straightened out, I am back to the internet world. To start things off, I thought we could go over my new favorite manicure. You just paint your nails your favorite color, and then spice things up with a bit of sparkle on the tips! Going with cream color & a pink glitter was my choice, but you can go anywhere with this! Nicest part, you don't have to have perfect lines, because the glitter covers up any errors. So show off some sparkle this week :)

2012!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome to a new year! This means new resolves, renewed vigor, and changes (all usually positive).

I know some of my changes are to blog as diligently as I have in the past, as I seem to have gotten out of the habit, weight loss (not surprised), more ART, and renewing my resolve to be more diligent in every choice/commitment.

Year in Review - 2011
How did I do?

1. Change hairstyle - check
2. Lose weight - meh ... no comment

Hey 50% isn't that great, but its not that bad either. We'll do better this year. So tell me, what have you decided to do in 2012?

3 Weeks Ago

Michael Renee Rodriguez died. I'm sorry I've somewhat disappeared, I just didn't know how to say what I was feeling, how to adequately honor this amazing man. For starters, I can't sum up his life any better than his beautiful obituary, which you can read here.

In January of 2010, he was diagnosed with colon cancer, and for the past year and nine months had battled it. He always tried to show gratitude whenever we came, even if he was feeling a lot of physical pain. I'm so grateful that we have lived close enough that we were able to see Mike almost every weekend. He was the patriarch of this family, and everyone is feeling the loss of his presence. He was the one you called for advice, I even called him a few times about issues with co workers, and he always gave me the best advice without making me feel insignificant or silly for asking. I made a habit of sitting with Mike for the first hour or so when we arrived at the Rodriguez home, as he was often in his office and there was a comfortable chair I could sit in. We would talk about anything, ranging from Disney theme parks, a new soundtrack we had purchased, or movies that moved us. Mike was a dynamic man who appreciated beautiful music, and meaningful media.

He loved all things Disney. I remember when my husband first got to know me he told me I was not the biggest Disney fanatic he knew. I of course could not believe him, but upon meeting Jon's father, I knew he was right. In December of 2007, one month before Jon & I began our courtship, he took his entire family to Disney World. Once I joined the family in August 2008, he began plans to take Jon & I with them to Disneyland. I remember how he began watching Disney World documentaries on the Sundays we came over. Telling me over and over how wonderful it was. When he finally popped the news, I could hardly contain my excitement! But, it was obvious from his face that his joy was greater than mine, for he had given me this trip.

The 3 of us on the bus on our way to Disneyworld

Jon & I began to do yard work for Mike in the spring & summer of 2010. It used to drive Jon crazy because although Mike couldn't get on his hands and knees to work like he used to he would still dictate what needed weeding, where to plant the lilies, where to seed the poppies, etc. Mike referred to himself as a "Master Gardener" and told us how he was preparing us to be like him. We were his apprentices in his own little patch of Heaven. I never knew someone who took more pride in their yard. While we have continued doing the yard work, preparing it for winter, and intend to continue working this coming spring, it will never be the same without him to oversee us. The garden will become just as beautiful, but we have lost the Master Gardener's vision and guidance.

A perfect example of Mike working in the yard with us

I wasn't sure how to adequately write this post. No words can truly express what an amazing man Michael Rodriguez was, or how our lives have changed forever with his passing, but I know that I am grateful to have known him. I know that I will see him again, I know that we are connected as an eternal family. Someone told me that they thought he was probably up in Heaven, playing with his grandchildren that have yet to come to earth. I don't know if that's true, but its comforting to think that my children may already know their grandfather, although they may never know him on this earth. We love you Mike.

Haunting Decorations

These are my SPOOKY decorations, 90% of which have come from the Dollar Store! The Dollar Store makes holiday decorating possible, doable, and can be done tastefully all on a budget! For extra help with decorating with the help of this $1 wonderland, go to this site!




Also, I found these wonderful paper cut out PDFs online at the Disney Family Site. So I cut, glued, and enjoyed these Hitchhiking Ghosts. You can download the PDF here!

Happy October!

Ok, so tomorrow begins our countdown to HALLOWEEN! I think it's probably my second favorite holiday next to Christmas. I've already begun my decorating (which I will be posting shortly) but in the meantime enjoy these helpful hints for Halloween Costumes:

Halloween Costume Mistakes Infographic by: HalloweenAndCostumes.com – Your source for Sexy Halloween Costumes and More.

Infograph

My husband gave me this Infographic about Disneyland. I think you'll find it fun & interesting. Click on the image to enlarge.



If you want to post this onto your blog, go to this link & copy & paste the embed code.

Let's have a Laugh

Its fun to laugh. It releases endorphins, which as Legally Blonde explained "endorphins make you happy." So, I had some laughter this weekend, and need to share.

This first clip is Dave with our dogs (taken a few weeks ago). Their weekly routine is that Dave gets the hose (of course to fill their kiddie pool) but ends up spraying them, in the face, for the next hour. And the dogs go nuts for it! Especially Capone. And it makes Dave happy. Its a win win all around.

This clip is when Jon was searching his parents pond for their turtles (they seem to have gone missing). Its not very long, but you'll want to have the volume up for this one.

And finally, some extra fun. Who doesn't adore babies laughing, and baby hummingbirds? Trust me, if you have a moment you should watch these.

Illustration

So, I have been posting some great art I've been doing recently on my Doodle Blog, but in case you've missed it. Here are a couple of the things I'm most proud of:

This was for Illustration Friday's theme: Mysterious

This is Illustration Friday's theme: Mesmerizing

To see all my Illustration Friday submissions or comments on my art click HERE

Visit to the Dentist

So, I recently visited the Dentist to have a cavity filled, but after it was filled the pain returned which meant that... I needed a root canal!!! Dum Dum DUM! So I prepared for the worst and was pleasantly surprised at how reasonably fast and comfortable the procedure was. I know, not a very exciting post without stories of fear or later regret & embarrassment at your bizarre reactions. However, I can grace you with one photo of me post root canal. They injected me twice, because I wasn't completely numb, and it resulted in my entire left side of my face to be temporarily paralyzed, including my eyelid (which would not close completely throughout the entire procedure).


P.S. I have had instant relief. So if you've got headaches, tooth pain, and/or sensitivity to hot or cold but are afraid of the dentist my suggestion is to PLEASE just go. You'll feel 10X better after, promise.

Inspiration?

I am needing some help! Ok, nothing major, but I really could use some input. This weeks IF theme is:

Mysterious

Now, before reading any further in this post, think about the first thing that comes to mind! Got it? Ok, continue reading. Because see the first thing I think is that nothing is more mysterious than a woman, and a woman's true thoughts & feelings. But before I start drawing, I want to hear your thoughts... so lets hear it! Whats the first thing you think of, and why?

O, and I have posted some more art on my new blog so check it out!

Sick Boy

To win a free t-shirt from sickboy.com all you have to do is enter a photo of your tattoo which reads "sickboy." Well, there didn't seem to be any rules about it being real, so here is our submission. Note: the tattoo is an ambigram, so it'll say both sick & boy depending ont he angle you are looking at.


Please notice the detail we took to even put the red around the edges to make it appear that Jon had just been "inked"



You can see the last tattoo I did on Jon here!

Mint Chocolate Cookies

So Jon & I made some delicious cookies tonight. They are one of my favorites, and a recipe by yours truly. Here is the recipe and some photos of the baking process! Enjoy!

MINT CHOCOLATE COOKIES RECIPE
Prep Time 15 Min
Cook Time 10 Min
Ready In 30 Min

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 mint chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter & sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.
3. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt separately; stir into creamed mixture. Fold in the mint chips. Drop rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets.
4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until cookies are set. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Credit Card

So the other night Jon & I were up a little later into the night. Well... when it gets late I get one of two ways: Fun or Grumpy. So I was in a more fun mood (but you never know I could turn at any second) and was laughing and having a good time, when Jon gets up, I seize the opportunity and give him a credit card. Which is not the nice shiny card that buys you hearts desire but is essentially this:

But when you give someone a credit card use your hand to swipe. Anyway, to retaliate he rubs back and forth between me wee bum. Needless to say I scream out
"You're giving me butt burn"
short for an Indian rug burn between my cheeks! Jon bursts out laughing and told me if I didn't post this I could look forward to further pain. So I apologize for anyone who reads this post and is offended, but it was a risk I had to take!

Family Weekend

Jon & I got to be with Daniel & Heather & their beautiful children. They are simply beautiful and just the sweetest kids. I'm so glad when they come to visit from Colorado. Things have been a little crazy, from Jon's birthday & our anniversary happening this weekend, to our sweet niece breaking her arm at the pool. I apologize for my neglect, and I will update you more fully, but in the meantime. Enjoy my darling niece & nephews!

IF - Influence

I know this is early, but Jon reminded me that if I didn't finish this weeks Illustration Friday theme, I probably wouldn't be getting it done later this week. Which is most likely true as these are our up & coming events.

1. Jon's birthday is on the 26th!
2. We're going out to dinner with Jon's folks during this week
3. I'm taking him out to dinner another night this week
4. We're having desert with my brother Michael & his wife Brit
5. Jon's brother Daniel is flying into SLC with our new nephew Lucas
6. Sunday is the baby blessing of said nephew
7. Sunday is our 3 year anniversary

So to say the least, it was better to get this done early than to neglect it all together! You can see this weeks Illustration Friday art at my new blog Doodle Draw Done which will be dedicated to all my art. Happy drawing!

2011 Ride for Fallen Officers

Jon & I have a Harley, and we love it. Once in a while we'll also participate in the local Harley Timpanogos rides. This one is the ride for officers, police, fire, etc. who have died while protecting us. All proceeds go to the families of these officers. We rode from Lindon to the capitol in SLC. Here is a bit from that.

Handy Man Husband

On Saturday Jon & I went to Mike & Derin's home for the weekly yard work. However, we had quite a different task to complete. Jon's parents have the most beautiful pergola, and they wanted it decked out (no pun intended) with lights. Jon spent all day splicing lines, and cutting the cords to make the most perfect lighted porch. It looked like Disneyland.


Now my spouse will forever have to to put up lights, because you know that I'll be wanting them.

Illustration Friday

Illustration Friday is a website that releases a theme once a week. This weeks theme being: SWELL. So I decided to draw a mermaid riding a swell. Enjoy, and hopefully I will remember to do these every Friday.